Mayor David Heintz said the steep increase is "totally against" his principles, but he and the Village Board "looked at every different angle of cost-cutting scenarios" and were unable to find any way to avoid it. He said nobody showed up to complain or offer other suggestions at the public hearing in January.

"We stayed here and waited a little while," rather than quickly adjourning the hearing, he said.

The village used up its reserves several years ago. The adopted budget anticipates hospitalization and medical insurance premiums rising to $491,584 from $401,458.56, and contributions to the state retirement system increasing to $546,574 from $483,158. A $200,000 bond issued under previous Mayor Kevin Hudson to help repay a loan from the water fund to the general fund came due. The village has had to begin making payments on the $1.5 million bond for the new Village Hall on Fairlawn Avenue.

Hudson, who has moved to Monroe and is planning a run for the 98th District state Assembly seat, said some current village officials are wrongly trying to blame him for the village's fiscal condition. He noted the reserves were already empty when he became mayor in 2011.

Heintz, meanwhile, stood by what he conceded were unpopular but necessary decisions by the board to put the village back on sound fiscal ground.

"I'm going to take a beating for this," said Heintz, who was elected mayor last March. "But when I leave office, I don't want to leave (the village) in worse shape than when I got here."

mrandall@th-record.com

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